When an English professor recommends you a book, you add it the list books to read on your Goodreads and hope for to read it sometime; however, when an English professor, specifically, Dr. Niki Ciulla, recommends you an album to listen to, you must listen to that album as soon as possible. And if you happen to write for the Winonan, you might as well not just listen to the album but write an article about it as well.
Flight of the Conchords are a New Zealand musical comedy duo that was formed in Wellington near the end of the 1990s. Formed by multi-instrumentalists, Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement, this duo is known for their humor and parodies aligned to many musical genres. Not only is this duo known for their creative sound, Flight of the Conchords also are known for their BBC radio series, their self-titled HBO television show, and, of course, their many grammy nominations.
After Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement have taken sometime apart from performing and producing music, Flight of the Conchords will reunite after eight years in May 2026 as part of the Netflix is a Joke Fest in Los Angeles.
But now that you’re caught up with the band and its history, well let’s dive right into Flight of the Conchord’s self-titled album that was produced in way back in 2008. This work of art consists of 15 songs. Each of the fifteen songs feel like a different SNL skit the way the group writes their lyrics, melodies, and instrumental sound.
One of my favorite songs off the album, “Business Time,” is a comedic song highlighting a mundane sex-life within a married couple’s relationship describe as boring, repetitive, and fast. Treating their intimacy like a business meeting, the lyrics satirically narrate the man’s perspective of their Wednesday night routine with some foreplay of brushing their teeth and then “makin’ love for two minutes.” Listening to this track, you cannot help but smile from the band’s unique lyrics and presentation of them to create an enjoyable listening experience.
Following right after “Business Time” on their self-titled album, “bowie” is an homage to David Bowie and the impact he has had on the music industry with their own out of the box spin. Within their song “bowie”, Flight of the Conchords uses their intricate lyrical choice, to show their love for the David Bowie in his song “Space Oddity” the early psychedelic folk Bowie was released back in 1969. The song continues these niche and simple references as three-minute song focuses on other connections to David Bowie and his music career.
Moral of the story, if you’re wanting to change up your music routine, listen to some songs from the Flight of the Conchords. Otherwise, ask a professor you admire for some music recommendations to listen and send them my way.
